New online trend to say it's better not to wear sunscreen

[Mummabear04]

Has anyone else come across this? People claiming sunscreen is carcinogenic and that you shoud never use it. These people are not even putting it on their kids?! Am I the only one who thinks this is absolute madness?

The Australian Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek, Slide campaign was so successful, you see little tots putting on their own factor 50 and well into the afternoon. When I was visiting a couple of years ago there was a lot on the news re Vitamin D deficiency and people were being actively encouraged to sit in the sun for 10 minutes every lunchtime.
I think there can be compromise with covering up and using sunscreen on the extremities. In Spain one year I saw a little girl with the most horrendously burnt feet.
Edited to add, I think in the UK our children get enough sun to avoid Vitamin D deficiency in the Spring and Autumn sunshine when the need for sunscreen is rare.

I think there is a balance.... As in all things.

Anything you put on your skin is potentially damaging. High exposure to UV is damaging. Lack of Vit D is damaging.

Here in the Northern hemisphere we have evolved to have light skin in order to absorb sufficient vitamin d. The UK rarely has super high UV, only in mid summer. Very few people need SPF 50 all year round here in the UK. We also seem to be the only country who cover our kids head to toe in material on holiday. I therefore conclude we are a little obsessed with avoiding the sun.

So, for me, use SPF in the summer in the UK. Stay out of the sun peak times. Don't burn, but don't avoid the sun either. Your skin is evolved to tan in response to sunlight. Moderation in all things.

Finally, there is also an argument that sun screen produces a false sense of security. In that it is used to enable staying out in the sun all day when a better approach is to limit exposure in the middle of the day.

I take supplements but cannot absorb properly through bowel problems

Allergies? Dd used to react dreadfully to suncream. She developed a really painful rash and swelled up. It was a nightmare. We eventually found one she could wear on her body but not on her face. Thankfully she grew out of it.

Do they? Can you point to the evidence?

Well it kind of is..... UV is low first thing, peaks at midday, and gradually lowers throughout in the afternoon. In summer that can still be high in the afternoon, in Winter it's pretty much zero.

Well, apparently, one higher end brand is pretty hopeless.

www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-14828857/skin-cancer-warning-popular-sunscreen.html

I can only assume that the “you don’t need suncream in the UK” brigade are not pale/blue skinned. I’m Irish with ginger children and we burn with spf50 on, we’d be fried without it.

Yes, partly skin sensitivity in our case too, it just makes the children's eczema worse

I don’t really get the obsession with sunscreen at the moment. When they were little my kids didn’t play out in full sun between 11-3. They all had sun tops and shorts which were spf50 or wore loose long sleeved clothing . Hats when I could get them to keep them on. Suncream if we were abroad and still sun suits in pool etc. None of them like the feel of cream on skin in any formulation even now.
They never burned and now understand that they need to look after their skin themselves. I wear SPF50 daily on my face but that’s it really.

I mean it replaces the vitamin d just as you can replace iron etc
mood is another thing but I find sitting in the shade when it’s sunny is good for me

but then if people say don’t wear SPF because we need the vitamin d but stay in the shade you’re still not getting enough

if you go to work in the morning, come home in the evening and are inside a building all day avoiding the midday sun you’re not going to get enough and definitely October - March, the majority of people are deficient
i can’t get enough from the sun without burning as a redhead so I have to replace it

And partly because I had always understood that the order of sun safety was

1. stay out of the sun
2. cover up /stay in the shade
3. use suncream

Not "just spend all day outside in blazing sun assuming you are fine because you've popped some cream on"

It's also key to remember people have different skin.

I very rarely put suncream on my son (we do also live in North Scotland!) and my husband never uses it.

I need it and so does my daughter. We burn more easily.

I do prefer covering up as well but there's clearly a balance to be struck between applying factor 50 every 10 minutes and nothing and judging one against the other is always going to be skewed.

The sensible middle line seems to apply here.

She had eczema too, which didn't help.

People talking about the increased use of sunscreen in products - that’s partly because it’s only in the last few years that we have understood the role of UVA rays ( the ones that are there all day whether the sun is shining or not, whether it’s rainy, cloud etc..) in premature skin ageing and wrinkles.

I use SPF 50 everyday on my face, neck & hands, I have done for years. Plus I use tretinoin. It’s part of my self care routine.

A friend of mine never uses sunscreen, doesn’t believe in it etc. which is her choice. I have noticed however that now we are in our early 40’s, the difference in our skin is quite noticable. I’ll keep using it for cosmetic reasons.

Why would it be a ‘mad health belief’ to notice the long list of chemical ingredients in sun screen and consider that might not be an ideal thing to put on a child’s skin? @Goodideaornot

Because solely using the length of the ingredient list to decide it is bad is daft.

I give you the chemical composition of a lemon.

I was literally coming here to type the same, we can slap on factor 50 and still burn to a crisp. I put a UV suit on my LO on holiday but mainly because I cba chasing after him and reapplying suncream and I also don’t want to keep him trapped in the shade.

It's probably because people are not going outside enough coupled with living at a latitude where there isn't enough sun year round for vitamin d production rather than sunscreen use. Most people don't use enough sunscreen and don't reapply regularly so people are still getting some sun exposure.

I use sun cream as needed but I also cover up. I only use it when I have to, and I allow my children to be outside without wearing any for at least 20 mins each day.
I never use factor 50 - only a max of 30 as there is a concern for me about the levels of vitamin d that can’t get through with block

I don’t use much sunscreen for a number of reasons. One is I hate the feel, second is I burn so easily I still have to be really careful.

so generally I prefer to cover up. Rash vests, hats, sarongs that double up as shoulder/head scarves, long loose trousers/skirts/dresses. Plus sitting in the shade as much as possible. I do use sunscreen on exposed areas if I’m out in the sun for longer periods.

However I don’t buy into the conspiracy that it’s carcinogenic, harmful, not necessary etc. cover OR sunscreen.

but then i saw yesterday on a news article on that poor woman from Barnsley that the whole Rabies thing is a ploy to push more vaccines on us. Big Pharma, government tracking etc etc.

idiots.

Well that's part of the point, that suncream isn't a suitable substitute for other sun safety measures

Just let them deal with the consequences. You can't teach stupid.

I was raised in a hot country and I must say I am shocked every summer at how terrible we are in this country with sun safety. Everyone is out and about in midday sun, no hat, no shade and just slathers on sun cream.

I put sunscreen on when necessary but that is extremely rare in the UK. It's much much better to wear loose clothing, stay in the shade, wear a hat and don't go out in midday sun.

"Sunscreen" does not entirely block the sun. In theory the number represents how long you can go as a multiple of 'without sunscreen' before burning - so with factor 50, you would burn at the rate of 1 minute per 50 minutes in the sun.

Common sense is needed - you won't become vitamin D deficient wearing Factor 50 in direct sunlight in June. You should, however, ensure you're getting vitamin D year round whether from the sun or by using a supplement.

I don´t know about sunscreen being carcinogenic, however malignant skin tumors definitely are. So if you don't want to use sunscreen, your only alternative is to fully cover up, especially near the water as the reflection of the sun in the water increased risk of sunburn which increases the risk of melanoma.

By the way, are these the same people who will slather on carcinogenic makeup products, but draw the line at unproven claims against sunscreen? Are these our new anti-vaxers?